Perceptions of female body weight and shape among indigenous and urban Europeans

Development and validation of the SAFE (Socially Ascribed intersectional identities For Equity) questionnaire

Traditional questionnaires do not capture the complexity of how people are viewed by others and grouped into categories on the basis of what is inferred (or not) about them. This is critical in applying an intersectionality framework in research because people are negatively impacted because of "who they are" but also based on "how others see them." The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a questionnaire, grounded in intersectionality theory and a nuanced understanding of social position, that can be applied in large-scale, population-based surveys and studies. Drawing on 61 existing quantitative surveys collecting identity-based information and 197 qualitative studies on intersectionality describing the complex ways in which people's social positions are constructed and experienced, we created a draft questionnaire comprising five parts: 1) Sex and Gender, 2) Sexuality and Sexual Orientation, 3) Cultural Context, 4) Disability, Health, and Physical Characteristics, and 5) Socioeconomic Status. A draft of the questionnaire was then reviewed by experts via the Delphi process, which gauged the accessibility of the questionnaire (e.g., language used, length) and the relevance of its content using a 5-point scale and open-ended questions. These responses were ranked, analyzed, and synthesized to refine the questionnaire and, ultimately, to obtain ≥75 % consensus on each questionnaire item and response option. The SAFE questionnaire provides an opportunity to take a significant step forward in advancing our understanding of the complex, intersectional nature of social participation and marginalization.

Love Matters: The Effect of Mating Motive on Female Food Choice

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing globally in recent decades. Behind the phenomenon, high-fat food consumption has been conceived as an important driver. In the current study, we explored whether mating motive caused an effect on female food choice as well as the psychological mechanism underlying it. In Study 1, we recruited 64 participants from a university and asked them to complete a mating prime, after which they would finish a food choice task in which food with different flavors were shown. In Study 2, we replicated Study 1 with a different mating priming method and examined the mediating role of body shaping desire on the relation between mating motive and female food choice. Results showed that: (1) The salience of mating motive decreased female's high-fat food choice but increased male's high-fat food choice; (2) the effect of mating motive in females was robust and more salient for sweet food rather than salty food; and (3) the body shaping desire partially mediated the effect of mating motive on female food choice.

Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees?

The attractiveness of service employees can have a significant impact on customer attitudes and behaviors. While frontline employees can reduce the risk of the COVID-19 transmission and infection by wearing facemasks, doing so can also influence customers' perceptions of employees' attractiveness and thus affect customer satisfaction. Based on the Gestalt theory, this study explores the impact of hotel employees' facemask-wearing on customer satisfaction through two experimental studies. The results indicate that average-looking frontline employees who wear facemasks induce high levels of customer satisfaction. However, while the impact of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction is not significant for attractive-looking male frontline employees, attractive-looking female frontline employees who wear facemasks induce lower customer satisfaction. Customers' perception of employees' physical attractiveness fully mediates the effects of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction in the case of average-looking employees. Customers' self-perceived physical attractiveness moderates the mediated effects. Implications that can help hotel managers improve customers' service evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic are provided.

Weight underestimation linked to anxiety and depression in a cross-sectional study of overweight individuals in a Sami and non-Sami Norwegian population: the SAMINOR Study

OBJECTIVES

Underestimation of overweight/obesity may prevent weight loss attempts, resulting in further weight gain and maintenance of overweight. Mental health benefits may nevertheless surpass negative consequences. Our main objective was to study the association between underestimation of overweight/obesity and symptoms of anxiety and depression in Sami and non-Sami populations.

DESIGN

Population-based cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The SAMINOR 2 Clinical Study with participants from 10 municipalities in Northern Norway enrolled between 2012 and 2014.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 3266 adults of multiethnic rural origin with overweight/obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m²) whereof 1384 underestimated their weight (42%).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Primary outcome measure was symptoms of anxiety and depression and secondary outcome measures were BMI and the demographic variables: sex, age, education and marital status.

RESULTS

A higher proportion of Sami men compared with non-Sami men were obese, and reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression. More men than women, and a higher proportion of Sami women compared with non-Sami women, underestimated their weight. Multivariable-adjusted analyses showed that women were less likely to underestimate their weight compared with men (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.55 in Sami and OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.42 in non-Sami), higher BMI was protective against weight underestimation (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.75 in Sami and OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.67 in non-Sami), slightly higher odds of weight underestimation were observed with increasing age in both ethnic groups (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05 in Sami and OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.03 in non-Sami), while higher education lowered the odds in non-Sami (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.87). Weight underestimation was protectively associated with anxiety and depression in Sami men (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.84) and in non-Sami women (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.78) adjusted for age, BMI, education and marital status.

CONCLUSIONS

Independent of ethnicity, more men than women underestimated their weight. Underestimation of weight was protectively associated with anxiety and depression in Sami men and non-Sami women.

Anthropometric Breast Measurement: Analysis of the Average Breast in Young Nulliparous Saudi Female Population

Anthropometric measurements and proportions of the female body play a significant role in plastic and reconstructive surgery. This study is aimed to identify the descriptive measurements of the breast in a sample population of young nulliparous Saudi women.

A comparison of men's and women's perceptions of the female body using a multidimensional scaling analysis of naturalistic stimuli

Men and women worked with 25 naturalistic photos of females representing varied physiques. Similarity judgments of the photos were analyzed using multidimensional scaling analysis to produce composite maps for male and female participants. A comparison of the maps showed gender similarities and differences. Both genders used almost identical attributes in judging similarities and identified almost identical body types, but men were more inclusive in identifying ideal females; men included curvaceous females that were rejected by women. Women identified very thin females that were rejected by men. Men were affectively most positive toward female ideals; women were most positive to near-ideals.

Metrics of the Aesthetically Perfect Breast

Breast surgery has long been viewed as an art more than a science. However, defining and objectively measuring the ideal breast morphology and aesthetic proportions are fundamental for surgical planning and to setting the goals of surgery as well as to evaluate surgical outcomes. Despite the fact that much has been written about aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery, there is still no real consensus about what the attributes are of an ideal breast. Moreover, there are in fact no objective standard measurement systems and guidelines to describe ideal or even normal breast shape. Though there is great variability in the perception of beauty among patients and surgeons alike due to many factors among which are age, sex, and sociocultural background, there is common agreement that beauty is a universal phenomenon that has a universal standard present across all civilizations and centuries, and that perceived beauty is enhanced and optimal aesthetics are achieved when proper measurements are made and anthropometric proportions as well as attractive harmonious ratios are respected. The current review is an attempt to summarize the most relevant information available trying to introduce some harmony in our perception of aesthetic ideals of breast surgery. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Disordered eating in Sami and non-Sami Norwegian populations: the SAMINOR 2 Clinical Survey

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate disordered eating (DE) among Sami compared with non-Sami residing in northern Norway.

Design

In a cross-sectional design, stratified by sex and ethnicity, associations were tested between DE (Eating Disturbance Scale; EDS-5) and age, education level, BMI category, anxiety and depression, physical activity and consumption of snacks.

Setting

The SAMINOR 2 Clinical Survey (2012–2014) based on the population of ten municipalities in northern Norway.

Subjects

Adults aged 40–69 years; 1811 Sami (844 male, 967 female) compared with 2578 non-Sami (1180 male, 1398 female) individuals.

Results

No overall significant ethnic difference in DE was identified, although comfort eating was reported more often by Sami individuals (P=0·01). Regardless of ethnicity and sex, symptoms of anxiety and depression were associated with DE (P<0·001). Furthermore, DE was more common at lower age and higher BMI values. Education levels were protectively associated with DE among Sami men (P=0·01). DE was associated (OR, 95% CI) with low physical activity in men in general and in non-Sami women (Sami men: 2·4, 1·4, 4·0; non-Sami men: 2·2, 1·4, 3·6; non-Sami women: 1·8, 1·2, 2·9) and so was the consumption of snacks (Sami men: 2·6, 1·3, 5·0; non-Sami men: 1·9, 1·1, 3·1; non-Sami women: 2·1, 1·3, 3·4).

Conclusions

There were no significant differences regarding overall DE comparing Sami with non-Sami, although Sami more often reported comfort eating. There were significant sex and ethnic differences related to DE and physical activity, snacking and education level.

Nutritional status and the influence of TV consumption on female body size ideals in populations recently exposed to the media

Television consumption influences perceptions of attractive female body size. However, cross-cultural research examining media influence on body ideals is typically confounded by differences in the availability of reliable and diverse foodstuffs. 112 participants were recruited from 3 Nicaraguan villages that differed in television consumption and nutritional status, such that the contribution of both factors could be revealed. Participants completed a female figure preference task, reported their television consumption, and responded to several measures assessing nutritional status. Communities with higher television consumption and/or higher nutritional status preferred thinner female bodies than communities with lower television consumption and/or lower nutritional status. Bayesian mixed models estimated the plausible range of effects for television consumption, nutritional status, and other relevant variables on individual preferences. The model explained all meaningful differences between our low-nutrition villages, and television consumption, after sex, was the most likely of these predictors to contribute to variation in preferences (probability mass >95% when modelling only variables with zero-order associations with preferences, but only 90% when modelling all possible predictors). In contrast, we found no likely link with nutritional status. We thus found evidence that where media access and nutritional status are confounded, media is the more likely predictor of body ideals.

Participating in a Food-Assisted Maternal and Child Nutrition and Health Program in Rural Guatemala Alters Household Dietary Choices

BACKGROUND

Food assistance programs may alter food choices, but factors determining households' decisions regarding food acquisition, preparation, and consumption in the context of food aid are not well understood.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to understand how the Programa Comunitario Materno Infantil de Diversificación Alimentaria (Mother-Child Community Food Diversification Program; PROCOMIDA), a food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition program in rural Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, altered household food choices.

METHODS

We conducted semistructured interviews and focus groups with 63 households in 3 participating (n = 32 households) and 3 control (n = 31) villages. A last-day food recall (without estimating quantities) and food-frequency questionnaire that used food cards assessed dietary choices. Qualitative analysis used thematic a priori and emergent coding; food group consumption frequencies were analyzed by using 2-level, logistic, mixed modeling, and chi-square testing while accounting for community clustering.

RESULTS

Compared with control households, PROCOMIDA changed household food choices through a combination of providing food resources (with monthly food rations) and new knowledge and skills related to health and food (in the program's behavior change communication component) while reinforcing existing knowledge and beliefs. PROCOMIDA families consumed rice, red beans, and oil more frequently than did control families (differences of 2.20 (P < 0.001), 2.68 (P < 0.001), and 1.64 (P = 0.038) times/wk, respectively); these foods were in the rations. PROCOMIDA families also ate chicken, local plants, and some vegetables more frequently. The importance of these foods was emphasized in the behavioral change communication component; these foods may have been more accessible because provision of food rations freed resources.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that if a program provides food free of cost to rural indigenous families in the context of a maternal and child nutrition and health program, it may be important to include a well-designed behavioral change communication component to improve household food choices.

Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua

Internalization of a thin ideal has been posited as a key risk factor in the development of pathological eating attitudes. Cross-culturally, studies have found a preference for heavier bodies in populations with reduced access to visual media compared to Western populations. As yet, however, there has been little attempt to control for confounding variables in order to isolate the effects of media exposure from other cultural and ecological factors. Here, we examined preferences for female body size in relation to television consumption in Nicaraguan men and women, while controlling for the potential confounding effects of other aspects of Westernization and hunger. We included an urban sample, a sample from a village with established television access, and a sample from a nearby village with very limited television access. The highest BMI preferences were found in the village with least media access, while the lowest BMI preferences were found in the urban sample. Data from the rural sample with established television access were intermediate between the two. Amongst rural women in particular, greater television consumption was a stronger predictor of body weight preferences than acculturation, education, hunger, or income. We also found some evidence for television consumption increasing the likelihood of women seeking to lose weight, possibly via body shape preferences. Overall, these results strongly implicate television access in establishing risk factors for body image disturbances in populations newly gaining access to Western media.

Cultural Influences on Body Size Ideals

Given that an important component of perceptual body dissatisfaction is the discrepancy between ideal and current body sizes, understanding how body size ideals are shaped and transmitted remains an important task for scholars. This review begins by examining cross-cultural patterns of body size ideals. Evidence is presented to indicate that the largest differences in body size ideals are no longer found between Western and non-Western cultures, but between sites differing in socioeconomic status. It is further argued that a thin ideal is now prevalent in most socioeconomically developed, urban sites. In explanation, it has been suggested that both Westernization and modernization bring cultural changes that promote a thin ideal. The present article reviews evidence in favor of both factors and concludes by looking at clinical implications for understanding corporeal experiences in a globalized world.

Resource security impacts men's female breast size preferences

It has been suggested human female breast size may act as signal of fat reserves, which in turn indicates access to resources. Based on this perspective, two studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that men experiencing relative resource insecurity should perceive larger breast size as more physically attractive than men experiencing resource security. In Study 1, 266 men from three sites in Malaysia varying in relative socioeconomic status (high to low) rated a series of animated figures varying in breast size for physical attractiveness. Results showed that men from the low socioeconomic context rated larger breasts as more attractive than did men from the medium socioeconomic context, who in turn perceived larger breasts as attractive than men from a high socioeconomic context. Study 2 compared the breast size judgements of 66 hungry versus 58 satiated men within the same environmental context in Britain. Results showed that hungry men rated larger breasts as significantly more attractive than satiated men. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that resource security impacts upon men’s attractiveness ratings based on women’s breast size.

Factors that motivate people to undergo cosmetic surgery

A sample of 204 British participants completed a questionnaire that assessed their attitude toward cosmetic surgery as well as measures of self-esteem, life satisfaction, self-rated physical attractiveness, religiosity and media consumption. Two factors emerged from a factor analysis of their attitudes toward surgery: likelihood to undergo, and benefits of undergoing, cosmetic surgery. Females with low self-esteem, low life satisfaction, low self-rated attractiveness and little religious beliefs who were heavy television watchers reported a greater likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery. Stepwise regression analysis with the two attitude factors as criterion variables showed two major predictors for likelihood: religiousness and low self-esteem, and four major predictors for benefit: religousness, media consumption, life satisfaction and sex. The role of religion is considered in this context.

Positive body image: inter-ethnic and rural-urban differences among an indigenous sample from Malaysian Borneo

BACKGROUND

Previous studies examining body image from a cross-cultural perspective have tended to neglect samples from different ethnic groups or along a rural-urban continuum. To overcome this limitation, the present study examined positive body image among rural and urban women from three major indigenous ethnic groups in Sabah, Malaysia.

METHOD

A total of 202 women completed the Body Appreciation Scale, as well as measures of media exposure and financial security, and provided their demographic details.

RESULT

s showed that there were significant rural-urban differences in body appreciation, with rural participants having significantly higher body appreciation than urban participants. A comparison with a previous data set of West Malaysian women (Swami & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2008) showed that the current urban sample had significantly lower body appreciation and that the rural group had significantly higher body appreciation. Further results showed that research site (urban vs rural) explained 11.0% of the variance in body appreciation. Participant body mass index and exposure to western forms of media explained an additional 2.0% of the variance.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that there are differences in body image between rural and urban women. Results are discussed in relation to the promotion of positive body image, particularly in developing societies where health care resources may be limited.

The impact of psychological stress on men's judgements of female body size

Background

Previous work has suggested that the experience of psychological stress may influence physical attractiveness ideals, but most evidence in favour of this hypothesis remains archival. The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the impact of stress on men's judgements of female body size.

Methods

Men were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, in which they took part in a task that heightened stress (experimental group, n = 41) or in which they did not take part in such a task (control group, n = 40). Both groups rated the attractiveness of female bodies varying in size from emaciated to obese, completed a measure of appetite sensation, and had their body mass indices (BMIs) measured.

Results

Between-groups analyses showed that the experimental group was matched with the control group in terms of mean age, BMI, and appetite sensation. Further analyses showed that men in the experimental group rated a significantly heavier female body size as maximally attractive than the control group. Men in the experimental group also rated heavier female bodies as more attractive and idealised a wider range of female figures than did the control group.

Conclusion

This study found that the experience of stress was associated with a preference among men for heavier female body sizes. These results indicate that human attractiveness judgements are sensitive to variations in local ecologies and reflect adaptive strategies for dealing with changing environmental conditions.

Males prefer a larger bust size in women than females themselves: an experimental study on female bodily attractiveness with varying weight, bust size, waist width, hip width, and leg length independently

What determines a female figure as attractive and is there a consensus of both sexes in judging female bodily attractiveness? To answer these questions, an extensive experiment was conducted using high-quality photographic stimulus material, several systematically varied figure parameters (weight, hip width, waist width, bust size, and leg length), and a large sample of 34,000 participants. The results showed that women prefer slightly wider hips, a narrower waist, and longer legs than men (highly significant but small effects). A clear difference was found with regard to the ideal bust size: 40% of men but only 25% of women preferred a large bust. The findings are discussed with respect to the changed role of women in Western industrialized countries who tend to concentrate on their career rather than on reproduction, and the effect of a curvaceous body with a large-sized bust on social perception.

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Men’s Judgments of Female Body Weight in Britain and Indonesia

Forty-seven men in Bali, Lombok, and Britain, respectively, were asked to rate a series of female images varying in body size for attractiveness. Between-group analyses indicated that participants in Lombok rated a heavier female figure as attractive compared with participants in Bali and Britain. In addition, participants in Bali and Lombok rated a wider range of figures as attractive compared with Britons. Results are discussed in relation to the globalization of the thin ideal.

The attractive female body weight and female body dissatisfaction in 26 countries across 10 world regions: results of the international body project I

This study reports results from the first International Body Project (IBP-I), which surveyed 7,434 individuals in 10 major world regions about body weight ideals and body dissatisfaction. Participants completed the female Contour Drawing Figure Rating Scale (CDFRS) and self-reported their exposure to Western and local media. Results indicated there were significant cross-regional differences in the ideal female figure and body dissatisfaction, but effect sizes were small across high-socioeconomic-status (SES) sites. Within cultures, heavier bodies were preferred in low-SES sites compared to high-SES sites in Malaysia and South Africa (ds = 1.94-2.49) but not in Austria. Participant age, body mass index (BMI), and Western media exposure predicted body weight ideals. BMI and Western media exposure predicted body dissatisfaction among women. Our results show that body dissatisfaction and desire for thinness is commonplace in high-SES settings across world regions, highlighting the need for international attention to this problem.

Men's preferences for women's profile waist-to-hip ratio, breast size, and ethnic group in Britain and South Africa

One particular aspect of the literature on preferences for female body shapes has focused on the purported universality of preferences for a low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), despite substantial evidence of cross-cultural variability in such preferences. In the present study, we examined the effects of manipulating women's profile WHR, breast size, and ethnicity on men's ratings of physical attractiveness and health. A total of 51 African men in South Africa, 56 British Africans, and 114 British Caucasians rated 12 line drawings that varied in two levels of ethnicity, three levels of WHR, and two levels of breast size. Overall, the results suggested that there were cross-cultural differences in preferred body shape, with the preferred body configuration varying as a function of the ethnicity of the figure being rated. In addition, there was a strong positive correlation between ratings of attractiveness and health. These findings are discussed in relation to the interplay between culture and evolution in determining ideals of attractiveness.

Big and beautiful: attractiveness and health ratings of the female body by male "fat admirers"

This study examined the body weight and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) preferences of "fat admirers" (FAs), that is, individuals who are sexually attracted to heavier partners. Fifty-six heterosexual men involved in the FA community rated a series of line drawings that varied in three levels of body weight and six of WHR for physical attractiveness and health. The results showed significant main effects of body weight and WHR, as well as a significant body weight x WHR interaction for both health ratings. In general, there was a preference for heavyweight figures and high WHRs for ratings of attractiveness and normal-weight figures and mid-ranging WHRs for ratings of health. Limitations of the study and explanations for fat admiration are discussed.

Big beautiful women: the body size preferences of male fat admirers

This study examined the body size ideals of a group of male fat admirers (FAs) in comparison with an age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched control sample. Forty-seven men, who were involved in the fat acceptance community, and 64 control individuals rated a series of 10 images of women that varied in BMI from emaciated to obese. As expected, the results showed that FAs rated a significantly higher BMI as the most physically attractive compared with the control sample. FAs also rated figures with higher BMIs, particularly those in overweight and obese categories, more positively than did the control group. In addition, FAs perceived a wider range of body sizes to be physically attractive than the control group. Participant demographics did not predict ratings over and above affiliation with either the FA or control groups. These results are discussed in relation to the growing body of work examining fat admiration.

Marquardt's Phi mask: pitfalls of relying on fashion models and the golden ratio to describe a beautiful face

BACKGROUND

Stephen Marquardt has derived a mask from the golden ratio that he claims represents the "ideal" facial archetype. Many have found his mask convincing, including cosmetic surgeons. However, Marquardt's mask is associated with numerous problems. The method used to examine goodness of fit with the proportions in the mask is faulty. The mask is ill-suited for non-European populations, especially sub-Saharan Africans and East Asians. The mask also appears to approximate the face shape of masculinized European women. Given that the general public strongly and overwhelmingly prefers above average facial femininity in women, white women seeking aesthetic facial surgery would be ill-advised to aim toward a better fit with Marquardt's mask. This article aims to show the proper way of assessing goodness of fit with Marquardt's mask, to address the shape of the mask as it pertains to masculinity-femininity, and to discuss the broader issue of an objective assessment of facial attractiveness.

METHODS

Generalized Procrustes analysis is used to show how goodness of fit with Marquardt's mask can be assessed. Thin-plate spline analysis is used to illustrate visually how sample faces, including northwestern European averages, differ from Marquardt's mask.

RESULTS

Marquardt's mask best describes the facial proportions of masculinized white women as seen in fashion models.

CONCLUSIONS

Marquardt's mask does not appear to describe "ideal" face shape even for white women because its proportions are inconsistent with the optimal preferences of most people, especially with regard to femininity.

Numeric expression of aesthetics and beauty

Debate over what constitutes beauty, particularly beauty of the human body, has raged since philosophy began. Interested scholars have debated the meaning of beauty for centuries. However, it seems that numbers and the resulting numeric relationships play a fundamental role in the classification of the human body, and that a harmonic profile or body shape is produced only at certain definite numeric relationships. The beauty of individual features depends on "ideal" proportions, and it is suggested that expressing beauty in terms of geometry is possible. As the demand for aesthetic surgery has increased tremendously over the past few decades, it is becoming essential to be able to assess the possible satisfaction that can be expected after an aesthetic surgery procedure and to determine the beauty of the final result as precisely as possible.

The relative contribution of profile body shape and weight to judgements of women's physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia

Ninety-six Malaysian and British men rated for physical attractiveness a set of photographs of real women in profile, with known body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Results showed that BMI accounted for the greater amount of variance in all settings. There were also significant differences in preferences for body weight, with low resource, low socioeconomic status (SES) raters preferring a significantly heavier partner than high resource, high SES raters. The disparity with previous findings using line drawings of women in profile was discussed in terms of the weaknesses of line-drawn stimuli.

Preferences for female body size in Britain and the South Pacific

To assess current attitudes to body weight and shape in the South Pacific, a region characterised by relatively high levels of obesity and traditionally positive views of large bodies, 38 high socio-economic status (SES) adolescent males and 38 low SES adolescent males in Independent Samoa were asked to rate a set of images of real women for physical attractiveness. Participants in both SES settings preferred women with a slender figure, as did a comparison group in Britain, suggesting that the traditional veneration of large bodies is no longer apparent in Samoa. However, the results also showed that low SES adolescents were more likely to view overweight figures as attractive, which suggests that the veneration of slim figures may be associated with increasing SES. Implications of this finding are discussed in conclusion.

Preferences for Female Body Weight and Shape in Three European Countries

Abstract. Body mass index (BMI) and body shape as measured by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are important components in judgments of women's bodily attractiveness. The relative importance of each of these cues was examined in three countries: Britain, Spain, and Portugal. Male participants from Britain, Spain, and Portugal, respectively, were asked to rate a set of images of real women with known BMI and WHR. The results showed that, regardless of the cultural setting, BMI was the primary determinant of women's physical attractiveness, with consistent preferences for relatively slender women. WHR emerged as a significant predictor of attractiveness judgments for the Spanish and Portuguese groups (with preferences for low WHRs, indicative of a curvaceous female body), but not the British group. These findings are discussed in terms of the different cultural values ascribed to participants in the three countries.